Village Elder
"We don’t get many outsiders here; what brings you to these parts?" Basic (KotG) Bretonnian nobles are responsible for bringing justice to the peasants. If they hear of a crime, they make sure that someone is punished. As long as it’s a peasant, they do not worry about which peasant. In some cases, the lord has hanged the victim. Most peasants would prefer to avoid such “justice.” Instead, they turn to their Village Elders, respected residents of the village. These old men listen to the details of the case and then hand out punishments. Often these involve paying reparations to the victim, normally in labour, but sometimes the Village Elders arrange “accidents” for the criminal. The quality of this justice depends entirely on the quality of the Village Elder, as there are no checks on his decisions. A senile elder is still capable of handing down something less than justice. However, it is still almost invariably better than appealing to the local lord. Main Profile Secondary Profile Skills: Charm, Common Knowledge (Bretonnia), Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Intimidate, Perception, Torture Talents: Master Orator, Menacing, Public Speaking, Suave Trappings: Peasant Village Career Entries Faceless, Mediator, Yeoman Career Exits Demagogue, Faceless, Outlaw Chief, Politician, Steward Note: Only peasants may become Village Elders. Women may only become Village Elders if disguised as men. A Day in the Life It is not uncommon for village elders to be more or less retired within their community. A craftsman in his youth may lack the eyesight or deft hands to continue working at his trade, while the rigours of manual labour would take too great a toll on their ageing bodies. Much of their life is spent simply waiting until they are asked to lend wisdom to a communal matter, so village elders often find themselves with an overabundance of time. More assertive village elders take it upon themselves to lend wisdom to the community whether they ask for it or not. These elders walk the village, chastising impertinent youths, warning children to play safely, shaking their walking sticks vigourously at layabouts, and offering advice on any topic that interests them to anyone who will listen. But their lives are also filled with mundane matters – gathering wood, tending hearth fires, and cooking are other tasks that may fall to the village elder. Many villagers are happy to have such a wise person in their midst, and do what they can to assist the elder’s family. Bringing over the occasional pie or pot of soup, helping to mend a wall or fence, or delivering a load of cut firewood in the early spring and late autumn are all typical gestures of gratitude. Respect Your Elders You don’t become a village elder without having lived a long life, at least, longer than the others in your village who would otherwise vie for the position. Most village elders are fiercely proud of their station, and are quick to point out how the vast experiences learned over their lives benefit the village. And the younger folk had best take heed of such experience, lest they find their ears pulled, heads slapped or otherwise earn their elder’s wrath. Which is all well and good, as this ensures that those youths will likewise enforce their ideals and wisdom with a clout to the head when they rise to the rank of village elder.